Naomi Osaka Candidly Opens Up About 'Extremely Bad' Postpartum Depression Following the Birth of Her Daughter Shai (Exclusive) Kayla GrantAugust 22, 2025 at 11:00 PM Naomi Osaka and Shai in 'Naomi Osaka: The Second Set' Naomi Osaka got candid up about her experience with postpartum depression In an ...
- - Naomi Osaka Candidly Opens Up About 'Extremely Bad' Postpartum Depression Following the Birth of Her Daughter Shai (Exclusive)
Kayla GrantAugust 22, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Naomi Osaka and Shai in 'Naomi Osaka: The Second Set' -
Naomi Osaka got candid up about her experience with postpartum depression
In an exclusive clip from the documentary Naomi Osaka: The Second Set, the tennis star talked about her "extremely bad" experience following the birth of her daughter
Osaka shares her daughter, Shai, with ex-boyfriend Cordae
Naomi Osaka is opening up about her experience with postpartum depression.
In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE ahead of the release of Naomi Osaka: The Second Set, the tennis star, 27, opened up about her experience with postpartum depression. Osaka, who welcomed her daughter, Shai, in July 2023 with ex-boyfriend Cordae, revealed that she had an "extremely bad" time following the birth of her daughter.
"Honestly, I also had extremely bad postpartum, and I didn't know how to deal with it that well," she said in the documentary.
The proud mom then shared something that she wrote detailing her experience. "I like to write things, but also I don't like to say things out loud because I'm an emotional person and sometimes it'll make me cry," she explained.
"Prior to giving birth, a bunch of different people had told me about postpartum. But truthfully, I had thought that since I was so aware of it, I could somehow avoid the symptoms altogether," Osaka continued in the documentary.
"In no world would I ever want my daughter to think that her birth is nothing less than the biggest gift I have ever received. But during those early months, I felt like a shell of myself at all moments of the day," she added. "I no longer knew who I was anymore. It felt like everyone else had moved on and they were living in color. Meanwhile, my world was stuck in gray."
The four-time Grand Slam champion recently opened up to PEOPLE at Tubi's private screening of The Second Set in New York City on Tuesday, Aug. 19. She talked about the unexpected, motivated mindset she had after her first-time pregnancy that changed her perspective on the sport she's played since she was three years old.
"I was one of those people that thought when I had a kid I would stop playing tennis," Osaka told PEOPLE exclusively.
Naomi Osaka and Shai in 'Naomi Osaka: The Second Set'
Rather than retire like she initially had in mind upon welcoming her daughter into the world, Osaka had different plans — and enhanced goals — in mind. "While I was pregnant, I was kind of very inspired," she shared.
"I also wanted my daughter to be able to see me play tennis. It was such a big part of my life and I feel like she doesn't know it, but she definitely inspired me to continue," Osaka continued.
One week after she went into labor, Osaka returned to training. Despite the chatter and negativity that surrounded her decision to jump back into the mental and physical intensity that comes with preparing her body to perform at the top level, she was determined.
"I feel like in the back of my head, I was a little stressed, of course, because I really desperately wanted to play and I felt like I had to do whatever it took," she recalled. "And that's kind of my, I guess, stubbornness."
Naomi Osaka and Shai in 'Naomi Osaka: The Second Set'
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"But also I've been training since I was a really young kid, so it didn't feel that extreme to me," Osaka, who is set to compete at the 2025 US Open in N.Y.C. at the end of August, said. "I feel like I'm going to look back on it and think it's a little crazy — but in that moment, it didn't seem as wild as it does now."
The Second Set pulls the curtain back on the emotional toll her separation from Shai took on the new mom, but also highlighted the solid support system — her own mom, Tamaki Osaka, included — that she has around her.
"Just seeing her makes my day brighter," Osaka said of Shai, adding, "She's just such a positive influence in my life."
Naomi Osaka: The Second Set debuts Sunday, Aug. 24 on Tubi.
on People
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